CaveGirl

Lorna, anyone can write a boring review just with a synopsis but very few can write about "full-on SEX CLOWN" portrayals that are reminiscent of Eunice from Mama's Family and white patent leather belt fetish wear, that even geriatric male golfers need to divest themselves of. Sorry for ending with a preposition! You deserve a column at Newsweek, and are the female Robert Benchley. Your reviews are so entertaining yet with tongue in cheek tendencies, that often hide your deep understanding of film, literature and life. Having studied Maugham in college and after, your remarks about his tale being quite shocking but honest in its view of religiosity is dead on. Thanks for having such a great sense of humor accompanied with a true literary heart, that you kindly share with your fans here, which includes me.

Oh, lordie...I own that, and what a movie, Lorna! I would recommend Onibaba to anyone here, particularly if they like foreign films, or like the work of people like Kurosawa and his contingent. What a great movie! And spellbinding cinematography too.

I had to look your acronym up since I'm kind of cyber ignorant, Tiki and this is what I found below. But we know from your very knowledgeable and interesting posts that you are not "lazy", "ignorant" or don't enjoy reading, so maybe you meant something else? Thanks for your interest and response though to my post, as I always appreciate your input. Urban Dictionary: TLDR https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=TLDR Too Long. Didn't Read. Frequently used acronym by lazy, ignorant people in Internet Forums, where their urge to type something exceeds their ability to read ...

Hey, Emily, you are so right! Mrs. Daigle was bizarre and frightening, especially after a few drinks. And the way she would taunt poor Christine saying things like "Oh, you can wear such simple things...blah blah blah." She obviously had a very poor self image and no wonder her hubby went on to moving to the Green Acres area after, I'm sure, he divorced her. My mother never called me Ingo Denker thankfully, but she did enjoy watching the movie with me. Thanks for your fun takes on TBS!

That would make a lovely wall print, hamradio and thanks! This kind of looks like a close-up of Dolly Parton's hair, or I should say, wigs.

Nature Boy, now I'm wondering if you are the reincarnated spirit of Eden Ahbez [aka George McGrew]? Due to my reading of very strange books, I became aware of Eden Ahbez. I had always liked the song "Nature Boy" but never knew anything about its songwriter. The bio in the book was quite interesting as was the info on real life "nature boys" of the time. This may inspire a post since I just was rereading up on this movement online due to your categorization of self, Stephan.

Otto Sensor is now dating Jenny Talia so doesn't care what profanities you type out, Stephan.

You are so right, Dargo. It is more like Thoreau. You know it was only last year that I realized I had never totally read all Thoreau's writings on Walden Pond so got the book and was totally invested in reading it. It is fascinating and the parts about how Thoreau stated he could live on minimal money, earned from his work around the area and things he would make or grow and sell to others was so meaningful. His bits about how people get trapped into expenditures based on their profession, that are not necessary if you just don't get into that profession were revolutionary. It's so obvious why this resonated with the hippie movement or just people wanting to get back to nature. I think Thoreau could probably live on an income of about minimal hundreds of dollars for a whole year back then. Of course, his battles with authorities over taxes and things was also amazing. Yes, your call on Stephan fitting more into a Thoreau style is apt.

I remember that movie but have not seen it in years. Thanks, Swithin! I once read that people cosmically [I know, it sounds spacey!] seem to be able to pick up seemingly through the air, new movements and thoughts and that's why often inventions will occur at almost the same time but disparate forces and maybe this is true because I've never gotten a movie catalogue with any films in it based on nudist camp stuff, and last night I came home to find five movie catalogs in my mailbox [yes, they all know a sucker when they see one!] and the very first one I went through had a total documentary style feature that it said included a bunch of 1940's to 1950's nudist films! I couldn't believe my eyes. Sure we get catalogues with old Bettie Page bits, and oddball films that were hardly released, but never anything with actual nudist films. I must have picked this vibe up from the atmosphere and maybe there will now be a resurgence, though I don't know if that is good or bad. Thanks for listening...

Right on, Sepia! I will say though that as opposed to most official movie critics who I ignore, I actually would be partial to the opinions of many people here who are so impressive with their movie knowledge, good taste and sane opinions. If one of the fun cognescenti here touted a movie, old or new, I would be more likely to want to view it, than if Leonard Maltin did. I guess I trust the opinions of the TCM movie buffs more than some lackey who got a job reviewing films for "People" magazine or the like.

I don't at all refer to any higher source than my own taste and opinion. I will read basic reviews of the plot and do have an interest in who is the director usually, which tells me everything I need to know. That follows too for old films that I might have never seen. I would rather watch the worst movie ever made by Lubitsch than the best by some hack, and there are a lot of them floating around as there have always been. I am open to any new director but they might only get one chance for me to think their stuff is worth seeing again. Now reviews from some past critics who I feel have shown their knowledge of films and seem to be serious critics and not just writing a TV Guide type synopsis of films, I might give some credence. I think I know enough about films to be my own judge, jury and willing victim. I particularly ignore reviews by people like Leonard Maltin, which I find irrelevant. I also was not really a fan of Siskel and Ebert, who seemed forced on tv with their little diatribes. Your consensus idea though is a good one, since if one is totally in the dark about a film, that's a good way to come to some conclusion. Once a friend told me a reviewer had said a Robert Altman film was a bit "dark" so we shouldn't go see it. I said back "That's the reason I wanted to see it...duh!" One reviewer's bad film is another person's perfect film in my opinion. Thanks for an interesting topic choice!

I'm so sorry I must have missed your mention of Ms. Varden. I too like serious minded Price roles as in TOL and I particularly love him in "Leave Her to Heaven". I agree, all scenes in TBS are fab. I don't think Rhoda scared me when I first saw the film as a kid, as much as I was impressed with her piano playing, perfect braids, ability to manipulate everyone but Miss Fern. I also love seeing Nancy Kelly's bit where she remembers hearing her original birth name, was it something like Ingo Danker or whatever, which is a classic bit and quite frightening. I'm glad I was not adopted from a murderous mother, as that would freak me out too! Too bad we can't start a "Bad Seed" fan site for others addicted as we seem to be. Imagine the fun. Braiding contests, piano competitions to see who can play the fastest, attempts to learn how to set excelsior on fire, locking people we don't like in the basement, seeing who can steal matchsticks the quickest, skipping around with our tap shoes and killing off anyone who sprays water on them with a hose, and of course, penmanship contests. What fun!

Stephan! Your post needs to be preserved infinitum as it is almost like reading a Hemingway story. Hopefully you don't suffer from his family's affliction so we can look forward to more travelogues like this one you have kindly shared! I echo all your thoughts about libraries and concur. I do hate to see some classic books by people like Maugham be sent to the library basement, as if they are not relevant, but at least one can still order things like that to be brought up for a reader. Thanks again for such an interesting post to savour!

Fascinating idea, add my vote to the polling list which concurs with your concept! They could also show films like "Tolable David" showing places which once existed in nature, that have now been decimated and taken over with buildings.

Uh, I think you are definitely right about Bogie playing it heavy on the as they would call it then, orchid side in that part, kind of like a Richard Haydn on acid persona. He goes way further than just portraying a "pompous intellectual" which could have been more like Conrad Nagel.

My favorite is the 1967 movie derived from the tv version I guess, called "Five Million Years to Earth" with original title being "Quartermass and the Pit". That was the first one I ever saw not being in England to see the earlier tv things. I then accidentally ordered the tv one from a catalog, forgetting to check the dates of production, but enjoyed that too. I still like the movie directed by Roy Ward Baker with James Donald and Barbara Shelley the most though. Donlevy is always good, but of course he was an Arrow Collar Man model for Leyendecker, which means he always looks quite debonair in any film. Thanks, Nip and the photo you posted looks more like it is Jack Paar than from a sci-fi film!

I saw that as I marked my TCM schedule last night with arrows and highlighters for films I don't want to miss. I'm so excited and can't wait. Thanks, Stephan...I was going to mention it here myself in a few days.

Yes, he was quite the art collector, wasn't he? I used to think he was a bit hammy, but after many years realized Price was in on the joke. I do think though that one of his finest performances is in that film directed by cult person, Michael Reeves called "Witchfinder General". The story I read was that Reeves kept at Price to not do any of his usual schtick and play it perfectly straight and it worked, as he was spooky scary in the inquisition type setting. For that film, I think having not one speck of humor made the film much more impressive, but I still love Price in things like "The Bat", "The Tingler" and all his Poe films with Corman.

Wow! Joan and Margaret O'Brien would have been great in a dual crying scene I bet, TB!

Haha! Yeah, he is a bit clueless I guess. That Rhoda is one clever little temptress though who could turn the heads of many men, except of course Leroy [Henry Jones]. I get a kick out of the fact they used Jones' voice on that radio alert about the child being drowned at the picnic, so I guess Leroy was doing double duty for both the boarding house and the radio station. My favorite part of the film is when Rhoda meets Reginald Tasker, and he puts her braid in the front and as she walks away she immediately puts it right back in place. Both Gage Clarke and the great Paul Fix as Christine's adoptive daddy, are superb in the roles being such fine character supports with years of experience. I also love the landlady [forgot her name?] and wasn't she also in "The Night of the Hunter"? Postscript: Just checked...how could I forget the name Monica Breedlove, which sounds like something from a Tennessee Williams play produced by Kubrick? Evelyn Varden was wonderful too in her role!

Christine, I forgot to mention this but after hearing Zea's fab story about knowing Patty McCormack, I thought you might enjoy it. My friend played a vampire on a local tv horror late night show, and one night they had Vincent Price as a guest since he was in town for some reason. She said of all the people who had ever been on the show, and they'd had some fairly big stars, like Keir Dullea and others, that Price was the absolute nicest and most kind and friendly and fun one they ever had, and was so nice to her after meeting her. She was not the star or host, just an adjunct to the festivities and in her early twenties and in college, but I was glad to hear this since it is great to know that someone you like, is really like what you had always hoped. Hope I didn't bore you, but I figure you are a fan, since you want his cookbook.

William Hopper was fairly believable as the hubby in TBS, since he was gone a lot but he still was under the spell of Rhoda, and think about all those fancy tea sets he would send her with that dangerous and highly flammable excelsior. For shame!

Christine, just a kindly reminder, don't try the "Lobster Newburg a la Tingler" recipe in Vincent's book, unless you have a very strong guest along for dinner, who knows how to handle a scalpel to remove the Tingler from your spine after din-din! We wouldn't want to lose you as a poster...

Joan is killer in "Harriet Craig". Thanks for the complete list, TB!

Rene Clement's "Forbidden Games" from 1952 with Brigitte Fossey.